This is an article I worked up for the local newspaper. I have managed to stop probably over 90% of unwanted contacts.

It happens to us all. Just as you are sitting down to dinner, or at some other inconvenient time, your phone rings and it is someone trying to sell you something, often for the third or fourth time. You open your mailbox and about half of it is junk mail. Your FAX machine spits out more unwanted offers than regular correspondence. You are excited to have new mail on the Internet, only to find most of it is junk mail.

How do you stop these? There are several options:

In 1992 the national Telephone Consumer Protection Act went into effect. Under it, if telemarketers are told not to call again, and they do, they can be sued in a local or state court for up to $500 for the first infraction and up to $1,500 for subsequent calls.

The law requires firms to keep a company-wide list of individuals who have told them not to call back, since some companies subcontract out the telemarketing. Almost all will respect your request not to be called since they know they would only be wasting their money calling you again.

I even stopped SPRINT and MCI from calling, which I consider a minor miracle.

For further information on this law order a copy of Stop Those Calls for $3.00 postpaid from the Center for the Study of Commercialism, 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20009. You can also call the Federal Communications Commission at 888-225-5322 and request a copy of their free brochure, “What You Can Do About Unsolicited Telephone Marketing Calls and Faxes.” This consumer information, and more, can also be found at their Internet site of www.fcc.gov/ccb/consumer_news.

Other methods to use:

Either don’t respond to marketing surveys you receive which request such personal information as your age, address, telephone number, social security number, income level, interests or martial status, or leave those blank. The primary purpose of these seems to be to generate mailing lists to be sold to others.

Don’t enter national sweepstakes. Your entry may be converted to a mailing list and sold. (Some sweepstakes are conducted solely for this purpose.)

Write to the Direct Marketing Association, Box 9014, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014. Provide them with your name (and derivatives); all mailing addresses; home, business and FAX telephone numbers and e-mail accounts. Tell them to put you on the list they provide to their members as not wanting to receive unsolicited mail, FAXes, telemarketing calls or e-mails.

For further unsolicited FAX advertisements notify the sender soon after receiving it telling them unsolicited FAX advertising is in violation of the same Telephone Consumer Protection Act and to take you off their address group. Keep copies of their FAX and your reply. If they continue, send a copy of all correspondence to the Federal Trade Commission, Mail Stop 1600A2, Washington, DC 20554. The FTC will then bring the matter to their attention. This pretty well guarantees to stop further FAXes from them.

The more you surf the Internet, the more junk e-mail mail you are likely to receive. For methods to reduce the volume significantly, check out www.junkemail.org. It is a collaboration between the Federal Trade Commission and industry groups and contains a number of recommendations. Another site with similar advice is www.spam.abuse.net/spam.

(For those who were unaware of it, when you hit on a Internet site you leave behind what is called a ‘cookie,’ as in leaving out cookies for Santa. The site will record your e-mail address as a minimum, which they may be able to cross-reference into a name and address. Some companies use these for legitimate advertising purposes since you have shown an interest in their product. However, other may use it for other purposes. Anti-cookie software or reprogramming is available.)

There are also those who surf the Internet with the sole purpose of collecting e-mail addresses either for their own soliciation for or sale to others. Where possible, use a false e-mail address.

One source of unsolicited mail, such as low-interest credit cards with high credit limits, is companies who request blanket credit reports from credit reporting agencies for certain classes of consumer, such as those with no blemishes on their report or those who have recently declared bankruptcy. These are then used to generate mailing lists.

You can stop the major credit reporting agencies from providing your credit report in this manner by contacting them and requesting the proper form to complete and return.

The three major credit reporting agencies are: Equifax, P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 (800-685-1111); Experian (formerly TRW), P.O. Box 949, Allen, TX 75013-0949 (800-682-7654) and Trans Union, P.O. Box 390, Springfield, PA 19064-0390 (800-916-8800).

I recommend sending a postcard for a form from all three rather than calling since their voice mail system can drive you up the wall. They are suppose to notify each other of these requests, but send in the form to all three just to be safe.

(A side benefit of this is they are likely to also send you a copy of your credit report at no cost to you.)

Keep a supply of pre-stamped postcards from the U.S. Postal Service on hand. When you receive unsolicited mail, tape on the mailing label and ask to be removed from their mailing list. Most companies will do so since direct mailing advertising is very expensive compared to other methods.

I once knew someone who had a DECEASED: RETURN TO SENDER rubber stamp made up and used it on all unwanted mail.

None of the above will necessarily stop cold calls or junk mail generated by any number of mailing lists sold by various companies. However, you sure can slow down the volume.

Should you change your name, address or telephone number you pretty well have to go through the same process again.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), June 29, 2001

Answers

I had this happen to me yesterday--I had worked outside most of the day and when I finally got into the house to check my phone messages, there'w what I found! Message: "Hello, Debbie, this is Annette Lane. Please, call me on the toll free number 888-#######. It is very important that I talk to you as soon as possible." Her voice sound very worried and concerned. Well--with all three of my children traveling-and my husband at work 3 hrs away -all in different direction, things started to really worry me so I called--it was busy. Waited tried again, busy--After trying for more that 2 hrs. it was getting close to 5:00 and I worried that I would not be able to catch her before she left for the day. I tried once again and the phone rang--"Hello, #$@^%$ Travel Agency." You talk about being mad. I went into a rage.. I ask for Annette and of course she was already gone for the day but she would call me back if I would leave my #. I told them my name, phone#, and told them I wanted them to take me off their call list and I thought it was pretty sh*** to make calls like that. I told them to tell Annette that maybe one day she would get a call that would really worry her only to find it was an unwanted sales call! thanks for letting me vent!

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), June 29, 2001.

Something fun that my sister and I have started to do: We open our mail together, using all the prepaid envelopes, we fold and squish all the junk mail flat and send it all back to them. Hers in mine and mine in hers, my free gold card application for her 12 CD's for a penny was today! :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 29, 2001.

I've sent back bricks to the unsolicited sign here for a quizillon dollar loan at 66% apr. After a six I got an irrate VeePee, and told him the letter attached to the first 5 said the same thing talk me off the mailing list. Told him the next time I'll send a 5 gallon bucket full of sand! The postage prepaid is very expensive.

-- (perry@ofuzzy1.com), June 29, 2001.

Yikes! Don't take it personally. Everybody's trying to sell something. Your not being singled out for punishment. There's the trash can or woodstove, delete and hanging up. I've even hung up on (supposedly) cops calling for contributions and haven't been arrested yet. Your attitude that you can control everything that comes your way is the problem. I'm sure you've got bigger problems than this one.

-- Kelly Miller (kellys_plants@hotmail.com), July 01, 2001.

I had problems will all manner of junk mail and phone calls until I took action. I used junkbuster.com . *It does work.* Will cost you whatever the amount for the stamps and envelopes.

The information they give you discusses both phone & mail 'junk'. I found and started using them in the early '90s and have "de-junked" all the addresses I've had along the way. Once you send the letters you'll begin to get responses in about 3-4 weeks. In about 6-8 weeks the junk mail will end (takes that long to *flush* the system).

I don't have association with these folks; they just have a product that works!

I've also had good luck with the following: you know those offers for mailing labels in the Sunday paper? They don't care what you put on them. I ordered some with "Do not sell, rent, trade, or lease my name, address, or telephone number" or similar. Cost about $5 for 250 (or so) labels. As I pay my bills, I stick one of these guys on the return part of the bill. Maybe it helps, maybe not. But I feel better !

Good luck everyone with your 'de-junking' activities!

J

-- j (jw_hsv@yahoo.com), July 01, 2001.

I send invoices for my wasted time to the companies that phone me to sell me double glazing or whatever. I also order stuff from junk mail and have it sent (and invoiced) to the company offering the stuff in the first place. That way maybe one of these companies will invoice itself in ever decreasing circles and dissapear up its own a$$ (wishful thinking!). The invoicing works though (nobody's ever paid, but the calling stops.)

Eric

-- Eric J Methven (e_methven@btinternet.com), July 02, 2001.